


What Did You Say?

by ThePackWantstheD



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Angst, Complicated Relationships, Deteriorating Relationships, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, M/M, Nonverbal Communication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-02
Updated: 2015-07-02
Packaged: 2018-04-07 07:48:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4255215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePackWantstheD/pseuds/ThePackWantstheD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I mean, it's not like I don't want to help," Wash said. As a second thought, he added, "Actually, I don't want to help but that's not why I'm saying no. It's just that I've never really thought about it. I just understand him."</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Did You Say?

**Author's Note:**

> Nothing gets me going quite like crying over Maine and Washington and the way their relationship probably fell apart.

Washington was not entirely sure when he started understanding what Maine wanted to say without the other agent actually saying anything. At least, not saying anything with words.

It was probably inevitable given that they were partners. They worked together pretty much exclusively, the only exceptions being group missions and the rare occasion their skills were needed to help someone else out, and therefore spent a lot of airship rides and late locker room trudges together.

What Wash did remember was that the understanding came before they were Wash-and-Maine and that the two of them hadn't noticed it until Maine grunted as he stared forlorn at his lunch tray and Wash followed up with, "Yeah, I was thinking Jello would be cool too."

They'd only realized that it was strange, only remembered that until recently Wash had been tilting his head in puzzlement just as much as everyone else, when York choked on his soda and asked about it.

  
\-----------------------------------------------------------

"Wash, hey, I need a favor."

The youngest freelancer couldn't help the groan that fell from his lips. He waved his hand at Maine, letting him know it was okay to leave without him, before tossing a shin pad into his locker and saying, "I'm not helping you with your latest plan to woo Carolina, York."

"Excuse you, I don't need anyone's help to woo Carolina. She swoons over me without any addition help on my part," York said.

Carolina let out a bark laughter as she passed. "You tell yourself that, York." She patted Maine's arm, "Come on, big guy. I'll kick your ass at a few rounds of Mario Kart before I head to bed."

Maine let out a soft growl as he followed after her.

Wash called out, "Whoa, getting intense over party games, Maine." There was a vague hum as the giant man slipped from the room. Wash turned back to his locker, slamming it shut once he made sure all the gear was shoved safely away from the hinges.

"That's what I need your help with, by the way."

Wash's eyebrows knitted together as he turned to face York, "Getting intense at party games? You're a pretty sore loser already."

"Not that," York insisted. "With Maine. I need your help with Maine."

Intrigued and confused, Wash leaned against his locker and gestured from York to continue.

"The director wants the two of us to take a few more missions together," York said. Wash squashed his surprise at this information - no one had mentioned to him that he and Maine wouldn't be working together soon. "Since he can keep any....surprises occupied until I can finish. If I'm going to be working with him, I need to know what he's saying to me. I can't focus on a hololock if I have to read a message on my hud."

"Ah...." Wash was silent for a minute before saying, "I can't really help you."

York's face went pouty. Wash resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Why not? Come on, dude. You're the only one who understands him."

"I mean, it's not like I don't want to help," Wash said. As a second thought, he added, "Actually, I don't want to help but that's not why I'm saying no. It's just that I've never really thought about it. I just understand him."

"I don't believe that. No one else can understand him, clearly you guy's worked out some kind of code. Just let me in on the secret so I don't take a bullet in the ass or something. I'll pretend I don't understand when you guy's are using your weird language to talk dirty at the lunch table."

Wash felt his face heat bright red. "We don't talk dirty in front of you guys, jesus christ. And there's no secret!"

"Come on!" York whined. He leaned closer to Wash, folding his hands together as if praying. "Pretty please? I really just need a crash course! And it's not like I'm asking you for fun, it's for work!"

Wash thought about that first time, at least the first time he'd noticed it, in the cafeteria. He thought about the times after - the synchronization it caused during missions when few actual words had to be spoken, about being in their bunk and the quiet conversations exchanged, and the secrets shared (definitely NOT the dirty ones) even when they were in public - and then shook his head. "I can't help you. It was just a natural thing, sorry."

Before York could ask another time, he started out of the room. "I'm gonna go watch Maine kick Carolina's ass at Mario Kart."

"It's funny that you think that's going to happen," York answered, a dutiful boyfriend even without Carolina in the room. "'Lina doesn't lose at anything, not even Mario Kart."

* * *

They'd developed a new system once Maine lost his voice.

They had always worked mostly soundlessly, but now it was impossible for Maine to say the few words they had needed to share - a soft 'Wash' when he was too far gone on a tangent and needed to be grounded, the worried 'Okay?' when Wash got knocked to hard in the training room, a hissed 'Fuck!' when a toe was stubbed in the dark of their shard quarters - and they started gesturing and touching more.

Wash knew the others had mixed feelings about their new dynamic. He'd seen the frown on the director's face deepen when Maine gently took his hand and linked them together when Wash's gestures got too animated. He'd heard York's giggling when Maine held both middle fingers up after Wash stole his pudding at the lunch. Even South was affected, flushing a deep scarlet and looking away, when Maine cupped his hands around Wash's face and his eyes asked about any injuries.

Wash also didn't care that much.

Maine didn't have a voice anymore, so it was only natural their bodies picked up the slack.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Music flooded through the speakers on the night table, filling Wash and Maine's room.

Wash was sprawled across their bed, made out of their two mattresses pushed together, playing a game about cats on his DS while Maine was on their floor doing push-ups.

Before the accident, they had spoken while Maine worked out and Wash checked on his cats. Well, more accurately Wash had spoken while Maine replied when necessary. There were no more replies to be said, however, so the music drove away the silence.

The calm was interrupted by a steady knock on their door. Before Wash could call out an affirmative, the door was sliding open and York's voice was flowing in, "Hey, there's a change of plans for tomorrow."

"Okay." Wash tapped on his screen a few times before closing his DS. He turned his attention to York. "What's up?"

"South is going with you on your mission instead of Wyoming," he said, pointing at Wash. "Maine, we've got a 2v2 training simulation against North and Wyoming. Director wants to make sure you're ready before sending you back into missions next week."

Maine growled.

Wash sent a small smile at him. "I know, but he's on North's team so you shouldn't have to endure too many jokes."

"Ugh," York said, crinkling his nose. "I hate those knock knock jokes. Let's make sure to thoroughly shut Wyoming up tomorrow." Maine turned his head, fixing York with a look that made him flinch back. "Okay...Not an expert in Maine, but I feel like that wasn't a good look."

"It's funny that you think Maine would ever give you a good look," Wash said, letting out a small laugh. There was a rough sound like a laugh from Maine.

"You two are the worst couple. A regular pair of bullies."

"Whatever you say, York." Wash raised an eyebrow at him, "Why are you still in here, by the way?"

"Well, I was hoping you two would give me a crash course," York said.

Wash groaned, "Not this again."

"Come on!" York whined. "North and I made a bet. I would have a much higher chance of winning if I actually knew what Maine was planning!"

"Look, it's like I said before okay? There is no crash course in understanding Maine. At least not from me," Wash explained. "We didn't come up with a secret language or anything. I just understand him."

"I still think that's bullshit," York declared. "I don't even understand Carolina that well."

"You don't have to understand Carolina that well," Wash pointed out.

There was a moment before Maine climbed to his feet. He raised an eyebrow, staring at York.

The man held up his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. I'm leaving. See you in the morning."

Maine nodded.

After York left the room, Wash looked over at Maine. "That was a little mean. You didn't have to scare him into leaving."

A wicked grin came across Maine face.

"Well," Wash mused, "I suppose that's true. It's pretty fun to scare York."

* * *

The AI's came into the picture and everything changed.

The project changed.

The group changed.

Relationships, long established dynamics, changed.

Wash and Maine changed in a way that had Wash worrying.

Carolina had brushed him off. She'd dismissed his concerns, saying that it was likely just because he hadn't spent much time with Maine since his implantation.

It was true that they hadn't spent much time together - Wash worked almost exclusively with South now and they worked almost as well together as he had with Maine, but that was less chemistry and more one of them trying to hold on to what they already had while the other grasped towards something they wanted -and Carolina didn't understand that that was part of the problem.

Wash and Maine were no were near codependent, but they had spent majority of their time together. They did missions together, they trained together, they sat in the medbay together even when it was just bruises. They watched movies on the battered rec room coaches together, they poured over magazines filled with pictures of baby animals together, they sat in comfortable silence with earbuds shared between them and music too loud to talk over.

Wash and Maine hadn't done any of that, had barely even been alone together, since Sigma. And Wash was worried.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Wash laid on the floor of the training room. His chest heaved as he sucked in deep breaths.

"Sorry, buddy," York said as he strolled over. "We might have gone a little overboard."

"Yes," Delta agreed. Wash could see him flickering on York's shoulder. "I am sorry if we caused you harm."

"I'm okay." Wash took another deep breath, relieved to feel the ache in his ribs receding. "This was good. It was what I needed."

"You needed to get the shit beat of you?" There was worry laced in York's voice. There was a moment before he said, "Wash, is everything-"

"Agent New York," a voice boomed overhead. Wash turned his face enough to spot the director standing at the top deck. He was leaned towards the microphone. "You have a mission with Agent Maine. Be in the conference room in three minutes."

"Yes, sir." York gave a salute before turning his attention back to Wash. He held a hand out, "Come on, let's get you to the locker room before I have to leave."

Wash grasped his hand, letting himself be pulled up. "It's fine. I can walk."

York threw an arm over Wash's shoulder as they walked towards the locker room. "I just want to be sure."

"Uh huh." Wash took several steps before realizing, "You didn't tell me you had a mission today. I wouldn't have asked to spar if I'd known."

"I didn't tell you, because I didn't know." York shrugged, "Been sent on a lot with Maine lately. He's a bit aggressive, but we get the job done. We work pretty well together now that Sigma's there. I can actually understand what Maine's thinking."

Wash turned the words over in his head. He thought about how he'd started sleeping in North's room, unwilling to listen to Sigma's voice everytime he asked Maine a question. He thought about how Maine sat near Carolina on the rare occasion they all had lunch together, the constant orange presence on his shoulder speaking to their commander. He thought about how the last time he'd seen Maine without his helmet had been weeks ago and how there had been no trace of his usual amusement in them.

As they reached the door to the locker room, Wash said, "I'm glad you can. I haven't understood him in a long time."

He ignored the ache in his chest and pretended it was just another casualty in his fight with York.

 


End file.
